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redwood city neighborhood guide · property nerds® at compass
Emerald Hills, Redwood City Homes for sale, recent sales and a Property Nerd’s guide
Unincorporated San Mateo County hills west of Redwood City: 1920s lake-country roads, two private lakes, Redwood City 94062 addresses, and county rules for permits, sewers and fire zones.
Emerald Hills by the numbers
emerald hills by the numbers · live from the mls
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Calculated in your browser from MLS data for Emerald Hills (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets). Sales are single-family homes, townhomes and condos.
homes in emerald hills · live from the mls
Homes for sale, for rent and recently sold in Emerald Hills
Every active listing, rental and closed sale in Emerald Hills from the MLS, updated automatically, with a map of the neighborhood outline.
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Listings come from MLSListings and other MLSs through IDX and show their listing brokerage; confirm details with the listing agent. The map outline is the neighborhood boundary used by our listing search (Emerald Hills (approximate outline traced from the boundary streets)); it may not match every local definition.
the story
How Emerald Hills came to be
Emerald Hills began with a lake and a sales pitch. The land was part of Rancho de las Pulgas, and in the 1880s it was part of a large estate that also took in today's Sequoia High School campus; the school's history page dates the first Emerald Lake dam to that era. Local histories say a 1920 promoter's brochure first used the name Emerald Hills, and that 1920s developers rebuilt the dam and marketed hillside lots as a country getaway from San Francisco.
In 1926 a group of lot owners bought the lower lake, so the developers dammed another creek and finished an upper lake in 1927, with a beach, diving platforms and a golf course, according to the same local histories. The 1929 crash stalled the resort, and after World War II the hills filled in with year-round houses. Both lakes are still there, and both are private: neither appears in the county's or Redwood City's park lists.
The area never joined a city. The Census calls it the Emerald Lake Hills CDP and the county calls it Emerald Lake Hills; Emerald Hills is the everyday name. In 1964 the Town of Woodside annexed about 250 acres at the south end, the 1927 Estates and Highlands of Emerald Lake, and those streets are covered in our Emerald Lake (Town of Woodside) guide. Everything else, about 760 acres by the Census count plus the Edgewood Road strip, is unincorporated San Mateo County with Redwood City 94062 addresses. It sits inside Redwood City's sphere of influence, but the county handles planning, permits and roads.
streets and homes
The streets and the houses
Very little here runs straight. Lakeview Way, with about 200 county address points, winds for more than two miles on public maps, from Jefferson Avenue near Upper Emerald Lake up to Cordilleras Road by Edgewood Road. Summit Drive, West Summit Drive, Sylvan Way, Oak Park Way, Hillcrest Way, Lakemead Way, Wilmington Way and a long list of short courts hang off it and off Jefferson Avenue. USGS elevation points run from about 75 feet on Edgewood Road near the Alameda to more than 500 feet near Handley Rock, so many houses sit well above or below their street.
County parcel maps count about 1,660 single-family parcels, roughly 120 of them coded for an accessory unit, plus about 200 vacant parcels. The median lot is about 12,000 square feet, with the middle half between roughly 8,300 and 16,400. Housing is almost all detached single-family; the county's public parcel data has no year-built field, so we have not tallied ages.
About 95% of addresses are zoned RH/DR, the county's Residential Hillside district with a Design Review overlay; the Edgewood Road strip near the Alameda is R-1. County staff reports put the RH minimum lot size at 17,000 square feet, and a smaller lot can need a non-conforming use permit for extra floor area and lot coverage. Hillside projects have gone through the county's Emerald Lake Hills Design Review Officer; in January 2026 the county Planning Commission recommended replacing that hearing with objective, staff-level review, so check which process applies when you file.
streets in emerald hills
- Lakeview Way
- Jefferson Avenue
- Edgewood Road
- Cordilleras Road
- Oak Knoll Drive
- Lakemead Way
- Hillcrest Way
- Summit Drive
- West Summit Drive
- Wilmington Way
- Sylvan Way
- Oak Park Way
- California Way
- Vista Drive
- Bayview Way
- Springdale Way
- Sunset Way
- Handley Trail
- Lake Boulevard
- Acacia Lane
parks and places
Parks, shops and landmarks near Emerald Hills
- park
Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve
San Mateo County's 467-acre preserve lines the west side, with about ten miles of trails and serpentine grasslands known for spring wildflowers. The visitor address is 10 Old Stage Coach Road off Edgewood Road, about 0.8 mile straight-line from the middle of Emerald Hills; the county declared it a natural preserve in 1993 after years of debate over a golf course.
- landmark
Handley Rock
A sandstone outcrop off Handley Trail used for climbing since the 1970s. A nonprofit owns it and holds it for public, passive recreation under a conservation easement; access rules have changed over the years, so check before you go.
- landmark
Lower and Upper Emerald Lake
Two dammed lakes: the lower one from the 1880s, the upper one finished in 1927. Both are private water, not public parks.
- park
Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve
Midpen's 366-acre preserve, about 1.2 miles straight-line northwest, has six miles of trails and a 17.5-acre off-leash dog area. Parking is on Edmonds Road off Crestview Drive.
- park
Stulsaft Park
Redwood City's 42-acre community park at 3737 Farm Hill Boulevard is about 1.3 miles straight-line southeast.
- shopping
Woodside Plaza and downtown
There is no shopping street inside Emerald Hills. The Woodside Plaza center on Woodside Road is about 1.8 miles straight-line, and downtown Redwood City about 2.5 miles.
- landmark
Woodside Fire Station 19
The Woodside Fire Protection District's Station 19 at 4091 Jefferson Avenue opened in 2006 and sits inside the county area.
schools and commute
School districts and getting around
School districts
County and Census school-district maps put every Emerald Hills address we tested in the Redwood City School District and the Sequoia Union High School District. The closest district campuses are Roy Cloud School (K-8, 3790 Red Oak Way) just east in Farm Hill, about 0.7 mile straight-line from the middle, and Clifford School (K-8, 225 Clifford Avenue) in Palomar Park, about 1.1 miles straight-line. The Woodside side of Emerald Lake is in Woodside Elementary School District, so the street name alone does not tell you. Attendance boundaries change; check the exact address with each district.
Getting around
- Caltrain: Redwood City station is about 2.4 miles straight-line from the middle of Emerald Hills; San Carlos station is about 2.9 miles.
- I-280: the Edgewood Road interchange is about 1.4 miles straight-line west of the middle, and Farm Hill Boulevard about 1.5 miles south.
- US-101: the Whipple Avenue interchange is about 2.8 miles straight-line.
- Bus: SamTrans 278 (Redwood City-Cañada College) runs on Farm Hill Boulevard and Jefferson Avenue near the southeast edge, and some SamTrans 295 trips use Edgewood Road toward Cordilleras; check current schedules.
- Roads and bikes: these are county roads on steep ground. The county's standard for new roads is at least 16 feet wide, and older, narrower roads were grandfathered in. Redwood City's bike map shows bike lanes on parts of Edgewood Road and Farm Hill Boulevard.
- Trails: the Edgewood Park entrance on Old Stage Coach Road is about 0.8 mile straight-line from the middle.
nerd notes
Buying or selling in Emerald Hills: what we check
Buying here
- County, not city: permits, design review and code enforcement run through San Mateo County Planning and Building. About 95% of lots are RH/DR (Residential Hillside with Design Review); ask whether your plans need the Design Review Officer hearing or the county's proposed staff-level review, and check the RH limits on floor area, lot coverage and setbacks before you plan an addition.
- Sewer and water: county maps put nearly every address inside the Emerald Lake Heights Sewer Maintenance District (formed 1947) and Redwood City's water service area, but a district line is not a connection. Confirm sewer (not septic), the lateral's condition, and who bills for water; a 2012 county LAFCo memo describes homes off Edgewood Road served by a small mutual water company or directly by the SFPUC.
- Fire: Emerald Hills is in the State Responsibility Area. On CAL FIRE's current map about three-quarters of addresses are in the Moderate zone and about a fifth, mostly on the west side (Sylvan Way, Oak Park Way, Hillcrest Way, parts of Lakeview Way and West Summit Drive), are High. Ask about defensible space, vents and roofing, and get insurance quotes early.
- Ground: about a third of addresses fall inside state earthquake-induced landslide zones, and some along Cordilleras and Edgewood roads are in liquefaction zones or FEMA Zone A by Cordilleras Creek. Budget for a geotechnical report on any addition, retaining wall or rebuild.
- Roads and lots: about 2 miles of road here, mostly short courts such as Mariani Court, Carrera Court and Old Stage Coach Road, are not county-maintained, so ask for any road maintenance agreement. Many lots are below the RH minimum size, which can limit what you add.
Selling here
- Pull the natural hazard disclosure early: here it can show the State Responsibility Area, the fire zone, and for many lots a seismic hazard zone. Buyers handle it better up front than in escrow.
- Gather county permit history, and sort out any unpermitted rooms, decks or walls with the county before listing.
- Document the sewer connection and lateral, the water provider, and any shared-driveway or private-road agreements.
- Explain the lot: slope, usable flat areas, lot size versus the RH minimum (it drives what a buyer can add), and the distance to Edgewood Park trailheads.
nerd noteCommissions are always negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what's included.
faq
Emerald Hills questions, answered
Is Emerald Hills part of Redwood City?
No. It is unincorporated San Mateo County with Redwood City 94062 mailing addresses. The county handles planning, permits and roads; Redwood City's water service area covers it and it sits in Redwood City's sphere of influence, but it has not been annexed.
What about the part in Woodside?
About 250 acres at the south end, the 1927 Estates and Highlands of Emerald Lake, joined the Town of Woodside in 1964. Streets such as West California Way, Glencrag Way and Midglen Way follow Woodside's rules and are in Woodside Elementary School District. See our Emerald Lake (Town of Woodside) guide.
Are the lakes public?
No. Both lakes are private and do not appear in county or city park lists. The public open space next door is Edgewood Park & Natural Preserve.
Are homes on sewer?
Nearly every address is inside the county's Emerald Lake Heights Sewer Maintenance District, but confirm the actual connection and the lateral for any house you are considering.
Which fire agency covers Emerald Hills?
County maps put the southern half inside the Woodside Fire Protection District, whose Station 19 is on Jefferson Avenue. The northern streets are outside that district, so ask the county which agency covers a specific address. All of it is in the State Responsibility Area for wildland fire.
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